Wireless monitoring of a card game and/or wagers in gaming

• US 7,950,661 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Walker Digital Table Systems LLC (Walker Innovation Inc. (f/k/a Patent Properties, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Light & Wonder Incorporated)
• Inventors: Soltys, Richard, Huizinga, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): RADA, ALEX P
• Application Number:
  US12/542,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20100035675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 651 Days
• Field of Search: 463/16, 463/22, 463/40, 235/492, 235/494, 273/149.P
• US Class Current: 273/138.2
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/02 Cards; Special shapes of cards card-printing methods B41K, B41M
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/18 Score computers; Miscellaneous indicators time-testing devices G07C
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2411 Input form cards, tapes, discs
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2489 by radio transmitters, e.g. using RFID
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/58 Antifraud or preventing misuse
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/067 Record carriers with conductive marks, printed circuits or semiconductor circuit elements, e.g. credit or identity cards also with resonating or responding marks without active components
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3232 wherein the operator is informed
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3293 Card games, e.g. poker, canasta, black jack

Abstract

A method for automating a card game includes wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of playing cards using radio frequency transmissions. For at least some of the playing cards, determining a rank of the playing card is based on the wireless interrogation using a mapping stored on a computer-readable medium that uniquely identifies playing cards based on a random distribution of conductive material carried by each of the playing cards.

Claims

1. A method of automating a card game, comprising:

wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of playing cards using radio frequency transmissions; and

for at least some of the playing cards, determining a rank of the playing card based on the wireless interrogation using a mapping stored on a computer-readable medium that uniquely identifies playing cards based on a random distribution of conductive material, comprising a plurality of conductive particles, carried by each of the playing cards.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of playing cards comprises transmitting radio frequency energy toward the playing cards, and receiving a radio frequency signal in return from at least some of the playing cards.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of playing cards comprises transmitting radio frequency energy toward the playing cards and receiving a radio frequency signal in return from at least some of the playing cards, while the playing cards are in a card shoe.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of playing cards comprises transmitting radio frequency energy toward the playing cards and receiving a radio frequency signal in return from at least some of the playing cards while the playing cards are being withdrawn from a card shoe.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a rank of the playing card based on the wireless interrogation comprises decoding a radio frequency signal received from at least one of the playing cards in response to the wireless interrogation.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of wagering chips using radio frequency transmissions.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly interrogating each of a plurality of wagering chips using radio frequency transmissions;

determining a value of each of a number of wagers based on the wireless interrogation of the wagering chips; and

determining an outcome of at least one wager based on the determined rank of the playing cards and the determined value of the wagers.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the playing card bears human-readable rank and suit marking; and

the conductive material includes the plurality of conductive particles distributed within at least a portion of the human-readable rank and suit markings.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein conductive material carried by the playing card comprises a trace etched from a conductive layer deposited on at least one surface of the playing card.

10. A method of identifying playing cards, comprising:

for each playing card;

transmitting at least a first radio frequency interrogation signal;

receiving a radio frequency response from the playing card; and

determining a value of the playing card based on the received radio frequency response using a mapping stored on a computer-readable medium that uniquely identifies playing cards based on a random distribution of conductive material, comprising the plurality of conductive particles, carried by each of the playing cards.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein determining a value of the playing card based on the received radio frequency response comprises determining a position on the playing card from which the response emanates.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein determining a value of the playing card based on the received radio frequency response comprises determining whether the response is received at a first antenna or a second antenna, spaced across and radio frequency barrier from the first antenna.